Round Robin
by my-hero-mizzy
Summary: A story passed between StarryPeaches, EspoirDio and myself.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Here it is, the first chapter of the Round Robin. The next chapter will be by StarryPreaches! **

**Disclaimer: We do not own it! **

Round Robin Chapter 1

It was possibly the worst idea in the world. She was trapped into a two week long vacation with the people that she lived to avoid. There was the big haired nanny who wouldn't mind her own business and couldn't keep her mouth shut, the Big One who was boy crazed over yet another teenage boy, the Boy who was probably scheming up ways to torture his sisters, the Little One who was no doubt ready to psychoanalyze everyone, Maxwell who was too clueless to even register what was going on behind his back and lastly the pesky butler who was more than likely going to make her life a living hell.

Maxwell insisted that she come along on this trip with them despite her protests saying that there was plenty of room for everyone and that she would have time to herself. This however was not something that she believed. She could practically picture how the two weeks was going to go. First the little one would get sick on the way to the lake house, then in the mix of things the other two children would be bickering while Nanny Fine would go on and on about Barbra. During this time Maxwell would enjoy the scenery, Niles would be driving and she would be stuck crammed somewhere between the children trying not to pull her hair out in the process.

But before all of this fun could begin, she was stuck at the mansion for one last night. She was informed that she should be packed and ready when she arrived at work this morning so that she could just stay the night. Then tomorrow instead of having to drive to her penthouse bright and early and taking time out of their trip, she would already be at the mansion and they could go straight to their destination.

It was nearing six o'clock pm and this is the last place that she would want to be on a Friday evening. She would much rather prefer to be spending a lazy evening at home preparing for two a week long vacation at a spa resort. But instead she was stuck staring at the guest room walls listening to the Sheffield's taking turns pestering Niles about very miniscule details about the trip.

She almost felt bad for Rochester who could be heard stomping around the house while she could smell dinner roasting in the oven. The one good thing about the trip was that she knew he would enjoy it even less than she would. He couldn't even call it a vacation because he would be doing his typical butler duties while trying to make sure that no one forgot anything along the way.

Footsteps could be heard batting against the floors of the hallway as someone was always rushing past the door for one reason or another but the voices always stopped as whoever walked by crossed in front of the guest room door- a courtesy she was grateful for as she relaxed on the bed with her eyes closed. It's not like she was going to be able to completely relax anytime soon, dinner wasn't finished and if the past hour or so told her anything it was that this behavior was not going to let up anytime soon.

Surprisingly all goes still. The footsteps have stopped and the noises have quieted down. Finally, she thinks. Not really caring why the halls are suddenly silent, she takes the opportunity to let her hands unclench and relax her aching shoulders. She might have been lying on the semi-comfortable bed for an hour but she had definitely not been relaxed. It was enough so now that she begin to feel herself drift off into a place that she didn't mind being in.

And then she feels it hears the consistent knocking on the door that sends her flying up in the bed. With her hand spread across her chest as she felt her heart race, she sees the door opening and Niles entering without her permission.

"Geez, Niles are you trying to scare me to death?" she asked as she tried to take deep breaths to calm herself.

"If only it would actually kill you," he replied with that unmistakable twinkle in his eyes.

"What is it that you woke me up for Betty Crocker?"

"I was sent to inform you that dinner has been served. I tried to tell them that you were resting comfortably in your make shift coffin and that if you really wanted dinner you would just find someone to suck their blood but Mr. Sheffield didn't appreciate the comment."

"Yeah well, I wouldn't have a problem with someone pushing this coffin out into the middle of the lake so I don't have to deal with anyone for the next two weeks."

"You finally admit to being a vampire then?"

"Of course not but if tonight is any indication of the misery which is yet to come, I would be up for anything to get away from them and the trip hasn't even started yet."

"Well at least you aren't at everyone's beck and call."

"Oh the joys of being a servant," she said jokingly knowing that he didn't take it to heart when they were merely joking like this.

" Yes, packing then unpacking followed by repacking just to make sure that one certain shirt is there because they _absolutely_ cannot go without it," he expressed sarcastically.

"Shouldn't you be used to all of this nonsense? And wasn't it your idea to go on vacation anyways?"

"Vacation, yes. Family trip, no."

"Sucks for you then doesn't it, Butler Boy?"

"Don't forget you are going too, Babs. Who do you think convinced Mr. Sheffield to ask you to join us? It definitely wasn't Miss Fine."

"You? You didn't!"

"No… Not me," he said mischievously with his eyes sparkling like they always did when he pulled one over on her.

"I can't believe that you would do this to me. I will make this trip a living hell for you just so you know. Although I could just sit back and watch everyone else do just that."

They began to make their way to the dining room where they would eventually be faced with the noisy Sheffield family and the big haired nanny.

"Don't worry, Babs, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Don't you worry at all."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This chapter was written by StarryPeaches. Enjoy :) **

Chapter 2.

They began to make their way to the dining room where they would eventually be faced with the noisy Sheffield family and the big haired nanny.

"Don't worry, Babs, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Don't you worry at all."

But, of course, she did worry. She always worried when she knew she would be forced into the company of inferior minds and kept with them, penned up like a chicken in a coop. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch in the beginnings of a smile. Perhaps Niles wasn't so wrong about me, after all. I am just like a chicken, in so many ways. Except, of course, for my breeding. And education. And intellect.

CC had been to a petting zoo once as a child, for a birthday party. The other children had seemed delighted by the animals, feeding peeled carrots to gentle, taciturn ponies, and running grubby fingers over the backs of tortoise shells. CC, dressed impeccably in a frilly lace dress and patent leather shoes and terrified of Nanny Bobo's wrath if she should so much as smudge her clothes, had stood unmoving next to the chicken coop for the duration of the party. The proprietor of the petting zoo had noticed her eventually, overdressed and petrified as she was, and had approached her.

"Afraid of the animals, honey?"

CC had looked up at the woman and had run an already disdainful eye over the mud-stained overalls and farm boots.

"Hardly," she had answered, turning up her nose. "But the other children are dirty, and they might touch me with their hands, and then my new dress will be covered in goat sweat and turtle slime."

"Huh," the proprietor had answered, apparently accepting the little girl's explanation at face value.  
The two had stood side by side, and had watched the other children for several silent minutes. Without looking back down at her, the proprietor had broken the silence.

"You want to know something about chickens?" she'd asked.

CC had looked into the chicken coop, unimpressed, and had replied, "They're smelly and loud."

The proprietor had chuckled and nodded. "Yep, that's true. Smelly and loud. And they're stupid."

This last word had caught CC's attention. She had always thought that most people were stupid, and she had been intrigued by the idea that other animals could be as slow as people were. "They're stupid?"

"Yep. They're terrified of rain. They don't know what's happening to them when it starts raining – all that water coming out of the sky, when usually it just sits in puddles safe on the ground. Some of them try to figure out where the water is coming from, so they just raise their heads and stare at the sky with their stupid chicken beaks open. They never do figure out what rain is. You know why?"

CC had been fascinated in spite of herself. "Why?"

"Because they drown. They let the rain fall into their open beaks and they drown."

CC had frozen in place. Could any living thing be so stupid that it couldn't realize when it was dying? Why didn't the birds just accept that they didn't understand the rain, but recognize that it was killing them?  
She had turned to stare at the chickens. They had stared back at her, heads bobbing in uncomprehending nods, as though acknowledging her confusion.

Without turning back around, CC had tried to formulate a question from the frantic, panicked thoughts that this story had inspired in her.

"But what… why… why wouldn't the chickens just learn what drowning is, so that it doesn't happen to them when it rains?"

Hearing no response, CC had turned back to face the proprietor. "Why-"

But the woman had gone.

CC was jostled back into the present as Niles leaned over her shoulder to deposit a piece of meat on her plate. She guffawed as she realized what was on the menu for dinner. At her outburst, the chattering family abruptly turned silent.

"And just what's so funny, Miss Babcock?" Maxwell asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just…" CC replied. "It's chicken."

The family gaped at her.

She heard a snort from behind her, and swiveled around in her seat to glare at Tidy Bowl. She had made the dinner table awkward, as she always seemed to, although she could never really understand which kinds of comments were going to blend in with the drone of domestic conversation, and which would make the family react the way they were doing now. As a child, she had been terrified at the idea of spoiling her pristine image, but as an adult, she was mostly just annoyed. She wished someone would give her a dossier of potential familial situations and the appropriate comments to make in each. "The little one scraped her knee: offer to find a Band-Aid." "Nanny Fine's ex-boyfriend's wife is expecting a baby: make a disparaging remark about its back hair." That way she could get through these things – workdays, family dinners, trips to the lake house – speaking in the same code that the rest of them seemed to have known since birth. Instead, the family was staring at her silently, as though she weren't quite human, and Lemon Pledge had the gall to laugh at her.

But when she met his eyes, they weren't filled with the scorn and derision she'd expected. They were twinkling.

Cluck, cluck, he mouthed at her, while the family lost interest in CC's non sequitur and fell back into their chatter. CC felt her heart thump hard in her chest and she turned back to face the table.

"Niles," she whispered under Nanny Fine's squawk.

Niles bent down behind her, placing his cheek within a few inches of hers.

"Yes, Miss Babcock?" he murmured.

"Did you know that chickens look up into the sky when it rains and they're too stupid to realize that they're drowning themselves?" CC whispered, not moving her gaze from her untouched plate.

She felt the gentle warmth of his breath against her ear as he huffed out a quiet laugh.

"I believe that is just an urban legend, Miss Babcock," he replied.

CC turned her face in surprise, and watched, captivated, as Niles turned his head to meet her eyes.

"What?"

"It's a miss, Myth Babcock," whispered Niles, winking gently.

"The chickens don't drown?"

"They don't drown. They just get confused when the rain starts. In fact, some of them can even swim."

CC could barely tear her gaze away from Niles' face. But as she felt the attention of the family start to shift to Niles' bent form, she cleared her throat loudly and turned back to the table.

"Well, this chicken won't," she muttered, "Even if she is dragged forcibly to a lake house full of squawking fowl."

And the family found themselves gaping once more in bafflement as Niles, retreating into the kitchen, burst into raucous laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 by EspoirDio. Enjoy :) **

"Well, this chicken won't," she muttered, "Even if she is dragged forcibly to a lake house full of squawking fowl."

And the family found themselves gaping once more in bafflement as Niles, retreating into the kitchen, burst into raucous laughter.

The woman certainly never ceased to amuse him and he had no doubt that she would continue to do so on the family vacation. It was always a delight to see her squirm, clearly uncomfortable for having been forced into a family situation that she lacked the appropriate skills to deal with. On the other hand, of course, he almost felt a bit sorry for her seeing as her absent skills weren't entirely her own fault. Almost. There was that tiny part of him that convinced him to put his feelings aside and merely delight in her discomfort. He retrieved another batch of roast potatoes from the oven and took a ladle to pour more sauce into a bowl.

Suddenly the thought struck him that C.C. might once again try to impress Maxwell, an endeavour which was always doomed to fail (much to his glee). This train of thought conjured up the image of the infuriating woman clad in her finest designer clothes squeezed into a canoe with the man in question and the big haired Nanny, trying to reel in the biggest fish while simultaneously swatting off the various mosquitoes that were buzzing all around her. That image was so amusing that he broke into loud laughter again and needed a moment to pull himself together, before he returned to the dining room and resumed his serving position.

He followed the various strands of conversations for quite some time, always interested in a good piece of gossip, while his eyes darted around to inspect the family. He was happy to see that everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves – even Brighton and Maggie weren't fighting – and he was even happier to see how miserable C.C. looked. She had resorted to her old strategy of eating in silence and blocking everyone else out. He studied her closely, the way she crinkled her nose sometimes in distaste when an unpleasant thought crossed her mind and the way a secretive smile played on her lips when something amused her. Unbeknownst to him he had also broken into a soft smile, wondering what was going on inside her head.

"Niles!"

He jumped startled and whipped his head around to the person who was so urgently requiring his attention. Brighton was holding out his plate impatiently, a cheeky grin on his face, while his other hand was wrapped around his serviette which he had transformed into a megaphone.

"Yes, Sir?" Niles asked, trying to regain his composure.

"Niles, are you getting on a bit old boy?" Brighton asked, imitating his father's tone "I've already asked you twice for more potatoes."

"Not at all, Sir, I'm merely waiting until you utter the magic word." he replied smoothly, his face not betraying how irked he felt that the young kid had got one over on him.

"Move your decrepit bones now and buttle." C.C. chose that moment to intervene, letting out her sultry laugh.

"Oh Babs…your hearing is getting bad. When the boy talked about an old man he wasn't referring to you."

"No, he was referring to you." she replied grinning and only too late did he realise that he had just managed to insult himself as well.

Brighton was grinning broadly too and tapped his nose in another gesture that indicated that he was getting slower. Thankfully before any more exchanges could be made, C.C. chose to rise from the table and make her exit. And with that particular distraction gone Niles could finally manage to focus on his duties again.

C.C. headed to the office to use the opportunity that the family was still busy to sneak some contracts and scripts into her suitcase. When Maxwell had told her about the family vacation he had also firmly declared that the little house would be a work-free zone, but C.C. had no intentions of keeping it that way. Ordinarily she liked a nice vacation as much as the next person, but this kind of vacation definitely did not scream "Relaxing!" to her and so she figured that she could as well combine the annoying with the useful.

With those final items stored securely in her suitcase she waited until most of the family had gone to bed or at least withdrawn to their rooms to finish their packing, before she went back downstairs and made herself comfortable in the den with a glass of Whiskey in her hand. But the peace didn't last long.

"I know what you're up to." The voice of the annoying butler sounded but she chose to ignore it for the time being. "You went to the office, didn't you, while nobody was watching?" Again she ignored him and sipped on her drink. "Come on, Babcock, you'll be stuck with me for the next 2 weeks, you can't shake me off."

"But I'll sure as hell try," she growled in return and emptied her glass in one big gulp.  
He followed her to the foot of the stairs where she was planning to make her escape and leaned in to whisper against her neck. "Are you really such a chicken, Babcock? Cluck cluck cluck little Babcock, cluck cluck cluck."

C.C. groaned a bit and whirled around to glare at him. "One more word from you little servant and I'll drown you in that goddamn lake." she growled.

"I'll take you down with me, Babcock." he replied with a cheeky grin and winked at her before making his exit.

C.C. groaned in annoyance and then marched up the stairs and back to her room. The silence was very welcome and she sank down on her bed with a content sigh. If only it could last. She stretched once and then started to exchange her pencil skirt and blouse for the silk of her pajamas while envisioning all kinds of horrible scenarios that would await her on that family vacation. Luckily she had packed a large amount of aspirin. Finally she gave in to the drowsiness that had overcome her since having that drink in the den, curled up on her side and drifted off to the last peaceful sleep she'd be having for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Written by me. Enjoy :)  
**

**Disclaimer- We don't own anything...**

Finally she gave in to the drowsiness that had overcome her since having that drink in the den, curled up on her side and drifted off to the last peaceful sleep she'd be having for a while.

Unfortunately, the sleep did not turn out to be as peaceful as she thought. It was near six AM when her normal alarm clock for work on her phone went off. Even though she knew that they weren't going to be leaving until 9 but to ensure her shower before breakfast getting up earlier was the only option.

Before she knew it, she was trapped in the limo with a bunch of tired grouchy kids, a hyperactive nanny and her business partner that refused to let her do work during the so called "Vacation."

"_Vacation, my ass." She thought. _

The pounding in her head would not let up. It wasn't how she predicted it to be. It was worse, much worse. Nanny Fine was singing off key to the Barbara tune that she had blasting from her head phones. Her voice reminding CC how much she enjoys listening to instrumental music to calm and relax her. No voices. No nonsense.

Brighton was describing every move that he was doing on his video game while his older sister was whining and complaining to her non observant father who was tending to the little one who looked like she was going to be sick at any moment.

CC leaned her head against the window pane and closed her eyes. Try as she might she was unable to vanquish the sounds of everyone else. The sleeping pills in her purse as tempting as they are would only keep her up all night so she pushed the thought out of her mind. What she really wanted to do was pull out a file and or a script and read through it or at very least a magazine or a novel but she was warned that the little one would surely be sick if she saw someone try to read in the car and the last thing she wanted was to be the reason for the little one being sick.

Niles was lucky. Even though he had to drive to the cabin, he had peace and quiet and time to himself. He was probably getting the greatest satisfaction from having her sit back with the rest of the family. She opened her eyes and looked down into her lap at Chester who had fallen asleep there. She ran a hand through his soft fur. Surprisingly enough, he had not attached himself to Fran. Odd as it may be, she took it as a sign of relief that she could have at least one confidante even if it was her Pomeranian.

She closed her eyes again and took a few deep and steady breaths. Two weeks. She could handle two weeks. Sure she would have to restrain from strangling people or drowning someone in the lake but maybe she could sneak out for awhile and spend some time getting some much needed sun or maybe she could find a nearby farm where she could do some horseback riding. Anything to get away from these people.

They had been driving for what seemed like hours when they hit a particularly curvy road. The motion of the limo going through the bends was almost so soothing to CC that she was able to tune out the sound of Gracie getting sick into a bag that they brought just in case this happened. Then the illness finally got to her when Niles just happened to hit a particularly deep pothole and CC became covered in the nastiness.

Her blouse was covered and she wanted to be sick herself. Maxwell rolled down the window between the family and Niles and explained Grace's illness and politely asked Niles to stop at the next available location.

They pulled into the rest area and CC rushed towards the ladies room. Passing the mirror as she went she noticed how terrible she looked. The blouse was ruined and her hair was mussed from leaning her head against the window. It would have been too much of a hassle to get a new blouse from the limo so she was forced to leave the rest area wearing the camisole that was under her blouse.

Seeing that Niles was cleaning up the seats and Chester was asleep away from the mess, CC slipped into the front passenger seat of the limo. She figured that she wouldn't stay there but while the rest of the family was busy dealing with their own issues she would close her eyes for a bit for some peace and quiet. She leaned the seat back a little bit and pulled her sun glasses down over her eyes.

By the time Niles was done cleaning the back of the limo and saw that the family was piling in he made his way to the front seat. Once he sat down he realized that CC was passed out in the seat next to his. It was a great debate whether he should do. Prank? No Prank? Normally he was quicker witted but with her sleeping there in the seat beside him, she looked just right, like she belonged there all along. The tap on the glass stirred him from his musings and the divider began to decline.

"Niles, Old boy, you haven't happened to see CC- Oh I didn't realize that she was here with you."

"I just found the beached whale here myself, Sir." Not that he meant what he said. Internally he cringed at how terrible that actually sounded.

"Take it easy on her. Will you?"

"I will be on my best behavior, Sir." He said as he started the ignition.

"I trust that you will be. Have you mentioned to her that she will be in the guest house with you instead of the main house with rest of us?"

"I didn't find that piece of information to be crucial when giving her the details of the trip."

"I see. Well please try not to push her to wits end."

"Of course not, Sir."

Maxwell nodded his head and raised the glass divider. They continued to drive to their awaited destination. The front of the limo was completely silent as CC slept and Niles drove. When the silence became too much, Niles turned on the radio and found a soothing station. He began to sing along with the tune and his rich voice filled the air. Hitting each note perfectly, Niles continued to sing along to the song playing.

CC shifted in the seat next to him to try and get comfortable even in her deep sleep. And then it happened. Niles thought he was going to have a second heart attack right then and there. He was singing like he had been doing and the he heard it.

"Mmmmhmmm, Niles."


	5. Chapter 5

CC shifted in the seat next to him to try and get comfortable even in her deep sleep. And then it happened. Niles thought he was going to have a second heart attack right then and there. He was singing like he had been doing and the he heard it.

"Mmmmhmmm, Niles."

CC was having one of those dreams where the people were all mixed up. Like when she dreamed that she was auditioning Morgan Fairchild, except that in the dream Morgan Fairchild was her cousin GG. Or when she dreamed that she was adopting the Sheffield children, but for some reason the big one was Val, the little one was Sara, and the boy was, against all odds, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. CC was always strangely lucid about the identities of these dream-people – even in her deepest sleep, she would understand that even though she was talking to Val, the person Val represented was Maxwell's eldest daughter, and that Val was just the placeholder. In the precarious, fragile logic of dreams, it never occurred to her until she woke up that it didn't make sense that Val could be identified as being Val, but also, somehow, as *actually* being Maggie. In her dreams, CC always took it in stride that people could be both who they were and who they seemed to be.

Whenever she asked Dr. Bort about this strange duality, her therapist would assure her that dreams were just the result of neurons in her brain firing randomly.

"Think of your brain as a tangle of live wires discharging at random," Dr. Bort would say. "All that electricity needs to fizzle out by the time you wake up, so your mind processes those crackling neurons in whatever order they fire. The things you old, insignificant memories, things you overheard during the day, a stranger who annoyed you at the grocery store – all those mundane things get discharged right along with the big things. Things that truly frighten or worry you, things that you desperately hope and long for.

"That's why a major production you've been working on can take the form of a traffic jam or a load of laundry in your dreams. The part of your mind that needs to remember to do the laundry is firing off along with the part of your mind that has been focused on your show for months. And your brain is interpreting those random inconsistencies by creating a load of laundry that's really a Broadway show."

CC still thought it was weird that she had adopted her greatest business rival, even if it was just in the form of electrical brain discharge.

And this dream was turning out to be pretty weird, too. In this dream, she knew to her very core that she was in the arms of the person she loved the most in the world, but for some reason, that person was Niles. In her strange dream-logic way, she didn't question his form. She just allowed herself to sink deeper into dream-Niles' chest and feel his hands splay across her shoulders and lower back.

CC, murmured dream-Niles, pressing kisses against her hair. Darling. CC marveled at the sensation of being held with such gentle ardor and love. She always thought of herself as the kind of no-nonsense woman who would gag at the mere idea of something as mushy as a tender embrace. But in her dream, it made sense for her to slide her hands from dream-Niles' chest down to his stomach, and then to reach under his blazer and clutch her arms around his middle. In her dream, it made sense for him to press his mouth against her temple and whisper hot words of devotion and desire. In her dream, it made sense for her to turn her head weakly and look up into his face to find his sparkling blue eyes meeting her own.

_Who are you?_ she whispered, her gaze going blurry as dream-Niles began to kiss his way down her neck and along her shoulder.

_You know who I am, _he replied, caressing her arm with the soft heat of his lips.

_No, I – ohhhhh_, she began, but forgot what she wanted to ask as his mouth reached her hand and his tongue began to lave each finger in turn. By the time dream-Niles had kissed his way back up her arm and met her gaze once more, she could barely remember that she had a question at all.

_CC_, murmured dream-Niles, laying soft, wet kisses against her mouth, you know who I am.

_Mmmmmm_, was all CC could manage as she gripped her dream-lover's hair with one hand and wrapped the other around his waist, opening her mouth under his insistent lips and twining her tongue around his.

_Tell me who I am, CC_, dream-Niles insisted between long, passionate kisses.

_Mmmmmmmmm_, CC moaned.

_Say my name, CC_, coaxed dream-Niles, his voice a rich, musical baritone against her throat.

_Mmmmhmmm, Niles_, she groaned, and suddenly felt her stomach drop in agonized recognition.

CC was *not* having one of those dreams where the people were all mixed up. CC was having an incredibly erotic dream about Niles. NILES. And in her half-conscious state, she was pretty sure she had just moaned his name out loud.


	6. Chapter 6

Mmmmhmmm, Niles, she groaned, and suddenly felt her stomach drop in agonized recognition.

CC was *not* having one of those dreams where the people were all mixed up. CC was having an incredibly erotic dream about Niles. NILES. And in her half-conscious state, she was pretty sure she had just moaned his name out loud.

It took all his self-control to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and not maneuver them into a ditch. Hearing her deep voice moan his name in such a delicious way had always been a fantasy of his, but one as it turned out, that better stayed a fantasy as he seemed entirely unable to handle it. Yet he mentally begged her for more. But instead the infuriating woman merely sighed and opened her eyes sleepily. Keeping his eyes firmly on the road he couldn't help but glance at her one last time and was rewarded by a rare vulnerability in C.C.'s light blue eyes. But by the time he had re-directed his attention to the road and swiftly glanced back at her once more, the look was gone and she had sat up straight in her seat.

"What?" she quipped "Didn't think I was having a wet dream about you, did you?"

"Any dream you have is a wet dream," he replied dryly "if the amount of drool on the seat is any indication. Do wipe your mouth, old lady."

To his glee his retort worked better than expected as he caught her a moment later self-consciously wiping at her mouth. He chuckled softly and remained silent until they arrived at their destination.  
The lodge was beautiful and located in midst of a pine tree forest. Around the corner and at a little distance from the main house lay the guest house from whose terrace a dock was leading straight to the lake.

"Wow," C.C. sighed and smiled.

Maybe this vacation wouldn't be so bad after all. The air outside was crisp and fresh and even seemed to help the little one whose face was slowly returning to its original colour.

"There better be good phone reception here, daddy," the big one complained instantly "how else am I gonna be able to call Mark every day?"

"You can't." Maxwell replied, a smug grin on his face.

"Oh Mr Sheffield, really!" Fran rolled her eyes and slapped his arm and all together the noisy family retreated into the main house, leaving C.C. and Niles alone outside.

Come along, Shamu!" Niles called carrying his bag and stomping down the mossy path to the guest house.

"Who is carrying my bags and why should I follow you?" she called back, frowning deeply.

"Well, unless you mistook the lodge for a 5 star hotel, you'll be carrying your own bags and well, I have the key to our house, roomie! Of course…if you want to sleep outside?"

It took a moment for this piece of information to sink in, but when it did she grabbed her suitcase and bolted after him, awkwardly stumbling on the soft ground.

"Roomie?" she snapped when she finally reached him.

He grinned broadly and nodded. "Good, isn't it? Oh we're going to have so much fun, Babcock."  
She glared at him angrily, snatched the key out of his hands and unlocked the door. And surprisingly the house looked just as beautiful as the main house, a fact that momentarily appeased her. Putting the key down on the side she walked further into the house and then upstairs. There was a bathroom which she would have to share with Niles that consisted of a bathtub, a shower, a sink and a toilet; and 2 other rooms facing each other. C.C. opened both doors and then decided to take the room that contained a queen size bed.

"Not bad….in a rustic kind of way." She mumbled to herself and, leaving her suitcase in the middle of the room, stepped to the window.

When she took in the beautiful view she had of the lake she mentally congratulated herself again for choosing this room. The loud honking of a horn made her jump and whirl around startled.

"Niles!" she snapped "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh I just found this," he replied innocently "I'm sure it'll be better than your usual alarm clock." And with another cheeky grin he retreated to his own room.

A sharp knock on the door broke through her dreams that were thankfully free of images of the pesky butler this time. She grumbled in displeasure and turned her back to the direction the sound was coming from. Blinking her eyes open disoriented she vaguely registered that her room was filled with the deep yellow light of the late afternoon sun before another sharp knock sounded. Then her door was opened and the floorboards creaked as the person entered the room.

"You poor old woman, it's time we'd put you in a home. There you can sleep all day."

C.C. groaned and resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sat up, still dazed from sleep. "What do you want?"

"Mr Sheffield told me to come and collect you, dinner is ready. If it would've been up to me I would've let you starve." He grinned again.

"Actually you might just get your wish," she muttered "I'm not particularly hungry, you go on ahead, tell Maxwell I'm not coming."

Niles nodded and headed to the door. "I'll leave some kibble downstairs for you in case you get peckish."  
C.C. remained sitting in bed until she heard the front door close, then she slowly stood up rubbing her face. The truth was that she was rather hungry but she was too annoyed at Maxwell for putting her in the guest house with the servant and definitely too fed up to spend any more time with the family. So instead she trudged downstairs and decided to raid the fridge. Luckily Niles had managed to fill it up already and so she made herself a chicken Caesar sandwich and went outside to eat it on the dock. It was a lovely warm evening and she dangled her feet into the water while eating her dinner. After a while she succumbed to the peace and quiet around her and got lost in daydreams.

"Wine?"

His voice startled her yet again and she tilted her head back to look at him. He was standing directly behind her, his pants almost touching her back. How she hadn't noticed him was beyond her. She took the glass of wine with a nod and then turned back to face the lake.

"Niles?" she asked after a while, sipping on her wine.

"Yes Miss Babcock?"

"Do you believe that dreams mean something?"

"Mmh…" he hummed to himself "I know that there are different theories about this. Some believe that dreams are the manifestation of our deepest and darkest desires-"

"And others that dreams are only the results of neurons randomly firing in our brain…I know…but what do you believe?"

"While the second is more plausible I'd like to think that the first is true…it seems…nicer and not so scientific and unromantic."

She couldn't help but chuckle at that and took another sip of wine. "Unromantic, really Niles?" she grinned.

"Oh shut up," he snapped and rolled his eyes, but then he started to grin "why Miss Babcock? Is this about your dream?"

She groaned inwardly and turned her back on him again.

"Maybe it was your desire talking," he suddenly whispered into her ear.

His nearness made her jump and spill the wine all over her skirt.

"Damnit you imbecile, now see what you've done!"

"Oh no, that'll leave a stain!" he grinned, feigning shock "Well, we better wash that out." And before she could do anything about it Niles had catapulted her into the lake.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Another chapter :) Read and Review! **

"Oh no, that'll leave a stain!" he grinned, feigning shock "Well, we better wash that out." And before she could do anything about it Niles had catapulted her into the lake.

Water. She was surrounded by water, cloudy, murky, water. The water was deep, deeper than she would have imagined it would be so close to the dock. There was a reason she didn't like coming to these sorts of places. Water. Pools she could handle, at least in the shallow end where she could touch the bottom. Jacuzzis she could most definitely handle but oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, anything where she could not see or touch the bottom of, scared her to the core.

She should have known not to go anywhere near the water with Niles so close but she couldn't help it. It looked so peaceful and at the time he was nowhere to be seen so she thought she was safe. She thought wrong, of course. Lord knows all he ever does is to her is bring her harm… although that is not entirely true. The kiss in living invaded her mind as she closed her eyes.

The breath she was holding began to flow from her mouth and nose and she began to panic. Her arms and legs began flailing but she was so deep and she doubted that he could see her. Truth be told, one of the main reasons she hated vacationing with the family and the reason she had doubts about coming. Sure she told Niles she wouldn't mind someone pushing her coffin out onto the lake but if that were the case at least she would be afloat on top of the water.

She began to feel lightheaded as she quit fighting thinking that Niles had finally managed to kill her. She need to take a breath as her lungs were burning but when she was forced to open her mouth water rushed in. Surely, Niles wouldn't let her die, would he?

After a few moments and seeing that CC wasn't resurfacing, Niles started to get worried. Clearly she was just playing another devilish prank on him to get revenge and be back on top. But then Niles noticed the lack of air bubbles in the calm but murky water. After a few more moments he could not take it any longer. He ripped his shirt over his head not worrying about his bottoms and the taunt muscles of his body contracted as he made a perfect dive into the water. He opened his eyes not caring about the sting that the water had on his eyes. When he didn't see her right away, he quickly resurfaced and took another breath before plunging downward again.

And then he saw her, she was almost motionless about ten feet away from him so he swam as fast as he could until he managed to wrap his muscular arms around her. He pulled them to the surface only to hear her cough as he strongly swam them back towards the bank. Once they reached their destination, he collapsed into a heap with her falling into his lap with her head against his chest. Knowing that since she had been coughing since he saved her and there was not much more he could do, the patted her back and pulled her further into his arms as he listened to her try and retain a normal breathing pattern.

She was exhausted he could tell. It didn't matter that she slept in the car or that she had napped once they got here. This current experience was too much for the Bitch of Broadway to handle. They stayed like that for a while as Niles fought off the force of adrenaline that rushed through him with every beat of his heart. The sun's rays were glistening off of his wet chest while water from his damp hair dripped down his face. Much to his surprise she was still clinging to him. Her breathing was still kind of labored and he was on the verge of picking her up and dragging her to the nearest hospital for observation.

The guilt was tantalizing him as he realized he caused this whole mess. If he hadn't catapulted her into the water in the first place none of this would have happened. However, this wasn't the only thing that he felt guilty of. He was more upset with himself that he didn't realize that she couldn't swim. Sure he would have teased her a bit but he would have never forced her into the water knowing she wasn't comfortable with it.

Her breathing began to slow to a normal pace and he could tell that she was about to scold him for going too far but it never came.

"Are you alright, Miss Babcock?" he asked as he ran a hand down her arm.

His voice rumbled through her and it was only then that she completely realized where she was sitting.

"I… think...so." She leaned her head back against his muscular chest again. "That was a nasty prank you pulled there, Bell Boy."

That's it. That's all she was going to say about it? Niles looked down at her in confusion.

"I really am sorry, Miss Babcock. If I would have known that you couldn't swim, I never would have forced you into the water."

"You didn't know," she said as she closed her eyes. He felt her relax in his arms and although he found it strange that she had stayed there as long as she did, he got to his feet and carried her back towards the guest house. "What do you think you are doing, Dust Buster?"

"I just almost broke my favorite hobby. So now, I will take extreme care of it."

She didn't have any words to say so she let him carry her towards the house. When he finally set her down in the house, her legs were still a little wobbly so he picked her up again and carried her towards her bedroom. He set her down on the bed and then ran his hands down her shoulders.

"You have no idea how sorry I am. If you wouldn't have… I mean if I hadn't gotten to you in time... I… don't know what I would have done."

She looked up into his eyes and saw how remotely sorry he was as a thin line of tears glistened over his eyes.

"Hush," she said. "I'm fine. You got to me in time. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just remember this for the next time you want to pull a prank on me."

"No, I'm done. I took it way too far. That was the last one. The last prank. I'm sorry." And with that he walked out of the room and left her to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

Hush," she said. "I'm fine. You got to me in time. Don't be so hard on yourself. Just remember this for the next time you want to pull a prank on me."

"No, I'm done. I took it way too far. That was the last one. The last prank. I'm sorry." And with that he walked out of the room and left her to herself.

As he shut the door to CC's room, Niles finally let a few of his tears fall.

You're a stupid bloody fool, Niles, he thought to himself, shoulders slumping, a stupid, sodding, bloody fool.

He had come so close to losing her. Not in the way he usually feared - not by falling in love with some rich socialite of a man and walking out of his life; not by waking up one morning, realizing that she was bored with their jibes and pranks, and choosing not to respond to him anymore - but actually losing her.

He closed his eyes against the sting of fresh tears and scenes from the lake flashed through his mind. CC flailing as she flew into the water. CC thrashing about while he laughed - actually laughed - at her struggle. The calm, unbroken surface of the lake and his dawning realization that she wasn't coming back up. CC, waterlogged and cold to the touch, shivering against his chest.

Niles felt his shoulders sag. He opened his eyes wearily, snuffling hard against the tears of regret. He wandered into the living room of their shared lake house, and moved to sit on the soft sofa. Abruptly, he realized that he was still bare-chested, and wearing his soaked trousers and shoes. A fire, he decided. He'd take off his wet things and build a fire in the hearth, and then maybe he'd fix CC a hot cup of tea and leave it by her door.

God knows I don't have the right to offer her anything, but maybe she'll want it anyway.

Something was going to have to change between them, Niles thought as he toed off his shoes. This incident had truly shaken him. He would be haunted by the images of a nearly-drowned CC all his life, he realized as he lowered his sodden trousers. He would never be able to hurt her again. He probably wouldn't even make it through a proper insult. He knelt in front of the fireplace in his boxer briefs and began to pile the tinder. And she had seemed so odd, almost as though the lake water had gotten into her gears and clogged up the machinery. As they'd lain on the grass beside the lake, she'd almost seemed to acquiesce to something. She had felt unresisting in his arms, which frightened him. She normally fought him all the time, even when they were friends. Even when they kissed. Especially when they kissed. She fought him constantly. He struck a match, and the fire quickly blazed into life.

Niles sat bacon his heels and stared into the fire. You said it best yourself, old chap, thought Niles. This is what happens when irresponsible children play with their favorite toys too roughly. They break, and the children are inconsolable. Doubly so, because the children know it's their own fault. Well, no more. The Sheffields would be baffled at the sudden dissolution of their enmity, and he would miss the daggers in CC's eyes when he provoked her into something like real feeling, but he wouldn't hurt her again. He couldn't bear it. He -

"GAHHH!" Niles leapt up at the touch of an icy hand on his bare back.

"Good GRIEF, woman, couldn't you put on some oven mitts before assaulting me with those ice slabs you call hands?"

CC drew back, frowning, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What did you mean, 'the last prank?'"

Niles stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"You said that was the last prank. What did you mean?"

Niles scrubbed tiredly at his face, then ran his hands through his still-damp hair.

"I meant just what I said. I don't have the strength for another scare like the one you gave me today."

"The scare I gave you?"

Niles smiled grimly and shook his head. "Too right. The scare I gave myself. I haven't got the strongest heart to begin with, and if I caused you any real harm, it would break right in two."

But CC at him as though he'd gone completely insane.

"I'm sorry, Niles, but have you gone completely insane?"

Niles wanted to laugh. I think I may have done.

"You don't want to cause me 'any real harm'? You do realize that for the past twelve years, all you've ever done to me is cause real, genuine harm, don't you?"

Niles' reply stuck in his throat. Yes, I do know.

"Do you know how many times I could have sued you for the things you've done to me? How many times I could have pressed charges? Think of the number of toilets you've scrubbed in your life and multiply it by the number of women who've laughed in your face. It's about that many."

"I know," Niles replied, taking a step toward CC, his nearly naked body glowing from the fire behind him. "I've thought about it constantly over the years. I was supposed to have been a barrister, you know."

"So what should make this any different? Why would you stop now?" CC crossed her arms tighter across her chest.

"Miss Babcock, you make it sound like you don't want me to stop. Haven't you been listening? I'm trying to capitulate. You win. You are the bigger man. You've beaten me at my own game."

CC clenched her teeth against a spate of shivers. "It can't be winning," she ground out shakily, "if the game ends on your terms."

Why, she's still wearing her wet clothes, Niles realized. She's actually shaking with cold.

"Miss Babcock," whispered Niles, closing the distance between them with a few steps. "You must be freezing. You're turning blue." He cupped his hands around her upper arms and gently tried to rub warmth into them.

"I'm turning b-b-blue from having to stare at your d-decrepit old carcass while I'm trying to figure out how to get you to snap out of your s-self loathing martyrdom and start plotting my d-demise again."

Niles carefully pried her hands free and began chafing them between his own.

"And why," he asked softly, a frown creasing his forehead, "Why would you want me to keep plotting against you? Especially when I'm offering you an unmitigated victory?"

CC found herself frowning back, and turned her head away. She tried to will herself to stop trembling, hating to show Niles any weakness. Still, she reflected, he's feeling guilty and exposed. Literally. And his hands are so warm. Slowly, though, his hands stopped moving against hers, and she frowned more deeply in disappointment. Then her gaze snapped back to his in shock as he grasped her open hand and pressed her palm against the heat of his chest, over his heart.

"Shall I tell you why I tortured you for all those years when I knew it was wrong? Legally, morally, and otherwise?"

CC nodded, captivated, and felt Niles' heartbeat speed up dramatically as he prepared himself for his confession.

"I tortured you," he said, staring into her eyes, "Because you wouldn't have noticed me if I had shown you anything except cruelty."

CC cleared her throat against an uncomfortable tightness. "That wouldn't hold water in court," she muttered, gruffly.

"Well, you would know about holding water." Niles raised an eyebrow and scanned her drenched blouse and skirt. CC chuffed out a low chuckle.

"So, what, you're telling me that you've been putting my health and safety on the line for more than a decade to get me to pay attention to you?" CC was conscious of every millimeter of Niles' skin pressed against her open hand; she could almost feel the pounding of his heart in her own blood.

"It's not attention, exactly. I could get you to pay attention to me just by shirking my duties. You would notice a butler who didn't hang up your coat or fetch your tea or take your phone messages. But you wouldn't.." Niles stopped for a moment, breaking their shared gaze to gather his courage. "You would notice an indolent butler. But only insofar as his work wasn't up to par. You wouldn't notice him as a man."  
CC's free hand rose gently toward his face. Niles closed his eyes as he waited for her touch against his cheek.

CC paused. "I'm about to touch you with one of my ice slabs. And I don't have my oven mitts on me. So brace yourself."

Niles smiled as her cold fingers- Glacial, really, - rested against his cheek. She turned his head back toward her and sought out his gaze.

"So your choices were to engage me either as a bad butler or a cruel man?"

Niles winced, but nodded in resigned acknowledgment. "That's right."

"Then I suppose I should tell you why I never took you to court."

"Why?" whispered Niles, as CC stepped closer into the warmth emanating from the fire and his body.

"Because I was afraid," CC whispered back, brushing her nose against his, "I was afraid that you would see me as a litigious businessperson. And that you'd stop seeing me as a woman."

Niles breathed in, shakily.

"It's pathological," CC continued, her eyelashes fluttering against his cheek with every blink, "It's the worst kind of self-deluding denial. I put up with all that violence from you, and I enjoyed it. Because it meant you were thinking about me. The worse the prank, the more you had to plot and plan it. No one has ever thought about me so much, or so carefully. It turns out I wanted your undivided attention so badly that I barely noticed a bump on the head or two. Or three."

"I'm sorry, CC," whispered Niles, squeezing his eyes shut at the threat of more tears. "There's no excuse for the way I've hurt you. I won't ever do it again. I can't. God, sometimes I wish I'd never seen you, never met you, never fallen in-"

Niles' eyes flew open and his words froze in his throat. "I mean, that, is, Miss Babcock, I -"

But CC had thrown her arms around his back, and she was kissing him.


	9. Chapter 9

Niles' eyes flew open and his words froze in his throat. "I mean, that, is, Miss Babcock, I -"But CC had thrown her arms around his back, and she was kissing him.

Her lips were cold as well and served to create a tantalizing mix when combined with his hot mouth. Their lips kept meeting again and again and soon her icy body was leaning fully against his. Little droplets of water slipped off her blouse and slid down his chest, accumulating somewhere at the rim of his boxers and making him shiver deliciously.

"I think the witch is melting." He whispered teasingly and broke away a bit to place a small kiss on her nose.

"I think I better change," she replied and before he could utter another word she had fled back upstairs.  
Whatever brief moment of joy and triumph he had experienced disappeared as quickly with her into the dark corridor. One step forward, two steps back. That was the choreography of the dance they had been engaging in ever since their meeting 20 years ago. He sighed deeply and sank down on the floor in front of the fireplace. Good thing he hadn't come as far as confessing his love. Although it had been a pretty close call and C.C. was a smart woman. Perhaps she had finally done the math. Great, another depressing thought. He sighed again and continued to stare into the fire.

"It's pathological, it's the worst kind of self-deluding denial. I put up with all that violence from you, and I enjoyed it. Because it meant you were thinking about me. The worse the prank, the more you had to plot and plan it. No one has ever thought about me so much, or so carefully. It turns out I wanted your undivided attention so badly that I barely noticed a bump on the head or two. Or three."

Her words kept swirling around in his mind. She craved his attention almost as badly as he craved hers. They really were the ultimate odd couple and self-destructive to the bone. Perhaps it was for the best that C.C. had run away before any real damage had been done. Still he dreaded thinking how their little encounter would affect their future now. C.C. would hide herself away again, that much was clear, and their situation would be made further uncomfortable because of his vow to never prank her again. He knew her views, knew that she wanted him to continue as before. But was that view still the same after their kiss? He rubbed his face tiredly and curled up in front of the fire, completely at a loss of how to act from now on.

C.C. in the meantime had fled into the bathroom, peeled off her wet clothes and sought refuge under the hot stream of the shower.

"I think the witch is melting."  
He was right as always and of course it was him who was melting her. Always him… She sat down in the shower, with her back against the wall, her eyes closed and while the water kept massaging her shoulders she tried to replay the events of the past few minutes again. She had gone downstairs driven by the feeling of loss that had befallen her since his sudden announcement that he would never prank her again. She had felt scared, scared of losing their only way of communication since the day that they'd met. And before she'd known just how it had happened they had both started spilling out secret after secret until she had forgotten everything around her and only her need to kiss him had existed.

The last thing that she was aware of thinking before taking the plunge was "Maybe I should take matters into my own hands and find out if that dreamed portrayed my secret desire to be with him."  
Breakfast the next morning in the main lodge was an awkward affair. Niles and C.C. were dancing around each other like teenagers who had been caught snogging at a house party and because Niles had sworn not to prank her anymore an uncomfortable silence was filling the dining room. The silence was occasionally interrupted by Maggie's whining and complaints because she wasn't able to reach her boyfriend and the other children's excited suggestions of daily activities. On top of it all the big-haired, brunette Nanny was berating Maxwell Sheffield, because he had voiced the idea that she'd do something alone with the kids, while he relaxed all by himself.

"This is a family vacation, Mr. Sheffield." Fran was pointing out for the hundredth time "You can't just hand the kids to me."

"Oh-ho, of course I can. I am your boss and you are the nanny!"

Fran sighed and gave a deep "oy".

"Trust me, Mr. Sheffield, I know my job description by now, but this is a family vacation, I still think-"

"Alright, alright!" Maxwell interrupted her, throwing his arms in the air "I give up, just stop repeating that phrase over and over again! Margaret, you're going to stop complaining all the time and Brighton and Grace, there will be no further discussion: today the entire family is going canoeing and that's that!"  
And throwing his napkin dramatically on the table he made his exit.

A few hours later the entire family reunited at the dock by the lake.

"What are you doing here?" Niles frowned suspiciously at C.C., while Maxwell was busy helping his kids into the boats.

"I'm going canoeing," she replied matter-of-factly and reached for the orange life-vest which Fran had placed by her side.

"You what?" Niles snorted "You can't swim."

"Hence the vest." She pointed out dryly.

"You are crazy, Babcock, do you know that?" he growled and leaned in a little "You would do absolutely anything just to get away from me, wouldn't you?"

C.C. turned to look at him, her eyes showing contempt, but she couldn't bring herself to deny it.

"Well, I don't think so." Niles continued and impulsively reached for a life-vest too "I'm not letting you run away again. You want to go canoeing? Fine, we'll go canoeing."

C.C. opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Maxwell.

"You changed your mind, old man?"

"Yes, Sir." Niles bit back and pulled another boat closer to the dock.

"Well, that's marvellous. You can take C.C. then."

"But Maxwell, I thought-"

"Yes, I know and I'm sorry, C.C. but Miss Fine and Grace want to have some girl time alone and I'm sharing a boat with Margaret and Brighton."

Once again she opened her mouth and then closed it again and finally, shooting an angry look at Niles she climbed into his boat.


	10. Chapter 10

Once again she opened her mouth and then closed it again and finally, shooting an angry look at Niles she climbed into his boat.

He allowed her to climb into the boat for following in as well. Figuring that she wasn't even going to go as far as lifting a hand to paddle, he grabbed the oar and began stroking through the water, alternating sides of the boat.

She couldn't help but stare at the way that his muscles contracted and his skin glistened as he paddled them through the lake with the golden sun beating down on them. Her eyes caught his and immediately turned away afraid that if she looked at him long enough he could see right through her. So she did the only thing that ever really felt comfortable with him… besides dancing that is.

"Come on Tidy Bowl, throw me a zinger. You know you want to…"

"Stop it, Miss Babcock." He said with a frown on his face as he continued to keep his mind strictly on paddling through the water.

"Stop what, Oven Mitts."

"Your plan. This whole scheme of yours. I know what you are doing and it is not going to work."

"I don't know what you mean, Dust Buster. Maybe your old age has made you finally go insane." But Niles didn't bite. He didn't throw her a zinger or a barb; he just kept on ignoring her.

"Fine, you don't want to play then I will."

Not realizing what she meant, Niles just kept paddling. She put a hand on each side of the canoe and started leaning from one side to the other to rock the boat back and forth.

"Stop it." Niles practically growled.

"No." CC kept rocking the boat anyways.

It still didn't work. Niles wouldn't give her the time of day so she did the only thing that she could possibly think of that would get his attention. Making sure that her vest was tight and mustering up all the courage in her, she rocked the boat even harder until it finally tipped and both she and Niles were floating in the lake.

Niles held on to the side of the boat and looked over to make sure that she was okay. "Why in the hell would you do that?"

To that she responded with "Why won't you even look me in the eyes?"

"Why do you continue to push me to the edge?"

"Why do you keeping hiding?"

To which he countered with: "Why do you keep running away?"

"Well why do you keep making me want to come back?"

"Why can't you see what is practically right in front of your face?"

"Why can't you see that I'm scared?"

"Well why can't you see that I am right here and practically put my heart out on the line and you still manage to make me weak?"

They were looking into each other's eyes as their bodies migrated towards each other. They were almost touching noses when CC said: "Why won't you just kiss me already?"

Niles let go of the canoe and framed her face with his hands and pulled her face even closer to his as he devoured her lips with his. It was like the kiss in the living room all over again except there was more in between them besides a sleeveless dress and a suit. He tried to pull her closer but her life vest kept getting in the way. His hands were tangled in her wet blonde hair. When the need to breath forced them apart, he kept her close and wrapped his arms around her the best that he could.

When he felt her shaking, he asked "Are you alright, Miss Babcock?"

"Its c-c-cold." He hadn't realized that the sun had begun to sink down behind the trees.

"Maybe we should get you back to dry land."

"We might need the canoe to do that Niles." She said with a laugh.

He look over his should to see that their canoe had floated out further towards the middle of the lake. He didn't want to leave CC alone where she was but wasn't sure if she would be able to swim out with him to where the boat was.

Seeing his agony, CC let go of him and said: "Race you there, Butler Boy." And started swimming towards the boat in the most pathetic way that Niles had ever seen. He let out a chuckle before swimming after her. And then he got an idea. An idea that would have probably gone off differently before this trip but now with what has happened between the two of them he decided that though he told her that he would stop pranking her; this was just too good to pass up.

Since he didn't wear a life vest, he easily slipped under the water and swam towards her. When he got close enough and saw her legs kicking to keep her afloat as she held on to the side of the canoe.

CC looked around and wondered where Niles had gone off to. Before this trip she would have been weary of his disappearance but maybe she was just losing it. She was cold and her arms were covered in goose bumps as a soft breeze blew over. Looking around once more and seeing nothing she started to get worried. They had already had one scare today already and she didn't think she could handle another.

Niles got as close to her as he could without brushing up against her before he ran his hand down her calf and she started to panic and rapidly kicked her legs.

Niles swam upwards towards the surface only to be met with a very angry looking CC.

"Niles! You idiot! What were you thinking?" CC practically screamed as she started slapping against his chest.

He chuckled and pulled her close. "I was thinking that one last prank wouldn't hurt and that now that we understand each other a little better now, I might get to do this a little more often." And he brought her in for another mind numbing kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

"Niles! You idiot! What were you thinking?" CC practically screamed as she started slapping against his chest.

He chuckled and pulled her close. "I was thinking that one last prank wouldn't hurt and that now that we understand each other a little better now, I might get to do this a little more often." And he brought her in for another mind numbing kiss.

CC was lost in this kiss. They'd been kissing each other constantly since they arrived at the cabin, and each one had been exciting, and knee-weakening, and just a little bit desperate. But this kiss felt special, somehow. It wasn't just that her mind had gone numb, it was that all of the doubts and insecurities that usually plagued her; all the angry voices that constantly berated her for her failures and mocked her for her attempts to succeed; all of the demons within her went quiet. Feeling suddenly warm and calm and deeply at peace, CC stretched her arms out farther to try to pull Niles in more closely. Her tongue became gentler, yet more demanding, and she could feel her heart in her throat. 'God, if only I could pull him inside of me and keep him there-'

But a ripple from another canoe powering by sloshed over them, and they broke apart, almost frightened to discover themselves back by their boat. CC quickly looked to Niles, anxious to know whether that kiss had affected him in the same way it had affected her. Their eyes met, and she knew. She reached out a hand as far as the life vest would allow and tried to smooth down the hair that she had rumpled into adorable disarray during their embrace.

Niles closed his eyes beneath her ministrations. "CC," he murmured.

"Yes?"

CC's hands had begun to still in Niles' hair, but he nuzzled his head back into her hands, unwilling to relinquish her touch.

"I had another thought."

"Two thoughts in one day? That's an all-time record."

Niles raised his face to press him nose against CC's palm. "No darling, that's *your* all-time record. The day you had two thoughts in a row was a banner day in the Sheffield household."

CC rolled her eyes. "So that was it? Your second great idea was that you should be insulting me more if you're going to be pranking me less?"

Niles' eyebrow, raised in its perpetual sardonic challenge, faltered a bit as he frowned. "I'm not going to be pranking you at all. I told you. If you doubt that I see you as a woman, then it's my job to make sure that you understand how deeply I -" Niles hesitated over the word. "How deeply aware I am of you. So I was thinking I should teach you how to swim."

"HA!" CC spat out, pushing away from Niles and floating backward on the water.

"Oh, no, no. I'm not falling for that for a *second*. You want to get me to AGREE to put my life in your hands? Out in the water, where it would be easy to dump the body and claim that I just swam off?"

Niles felt as though she'd just slapped him. When he had kissed her, just now, near the boat, he had felt his entire being go blank. There had been nothing in his mind or heart, no jealousy or bitterness or envy or hatred, just the heat of her mouth and the taste of her tongue, the determined press of her arms and the adorable resistance of her life vest. Hadn't she felt even a fraction of that? 'It doesn't matter that we haven't learned how to speak to each other yet,' thought Niles, his frown deepening. 'We can learn how to use words to tell each other what's in our hearts. But I thought we were connecting when we touched. I thought she understood what our kisses meant. I need her to know how-'

"Ship to shore, Niles, this is CC, do you read me?"

Niles looked up at her, his frown still darkening his face.

"What?" CC tried to cross her arms over her life vest twice before realizing that the effort was futile. "You're mad because I foiled your plot? Try to lure me into a false sense of security with our little heart-to-hearts and then get me to agree to humiliate and terrify myself in front of you? I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"God DAMN it, CC." Niles growled, low in his chest.

CC froze, unable to remember the last time she'd heard Niles swear.

"I thought it was something we could do together, to build trust between us. I thought it would be a way for me to be able to hold you, to touch you, to literally support you while you learned something new. I thought it would be a way for you to learn that it's safe to lean on me - literally - while you're reaching for a new goal."

Niles swam forward and took the rope connected to CC's life vest in one hand. For a wild moment, CC was convinced that Niles was about to tie her to a rock somewhere to make her swim to shore or die trying. But Niles merely tugged her back to the canoe, ensured that she had a good grip on the edge, hoisted himself up into the boat, and then turned around to help up CC. As he braced himself against the side of the boat, reaching his arms down to take hold of CC's hands, he added,

"Because, CC, if we ever hope to have a future together, I fully expect for our lives to continue the way they have begun."

Back in the boat, CC clutched at her arms and pressed her knees together, trying to stop her quaking body from shivering.

"I'm guessing you don't mean with distrust, meanness, and violence," she rasped.

"No. I mean with you achieving greater and greater successes, and me trying to be there for you in any and every way that you need me."


End file.
